Kensington is a memoir built on the fabric of a montage of anecdotes, but the book actually begins in 1957 after an emotionally charged move to Dallas. The author, who at the time was fourteen, struck up a friendship with fellow classmate, Steve Miller, and with the eventual addition of Boz Scaggs, they formed a rock group that performed extensively for the next five years and led to the careers of two superstars. The formation of the group and their impact on the Dallas music scene is relived in the words of both Haydon and Miller, but includes quotes from all of the original members. The only thing to save Haydon from falling deeper into a chasm caused by the lost lifestyle in Kensington was being a member of that band. With devastating results, everything else became inconsequential. Kensington, as seen through the eyes of author Robert Haydon, is the heartfelt true story of a family, a town, and friendship in the late 40's and 50's. It speaks not only of his ancestry and the evolution of a family but also of the ordinary and extraordinary events that shaped his childhood in the safe harbor of a small suburb locked inside the huge metroplex of Washington D.C. This book is captivating, both history-wise, and as a trip down memory lane. With the country caught up in a whirlwind of fast-moving technology, and lifestyles to match, this creative memoir provides a wonderful return to yesteryear. With his ancestry deciphered and made available by two family genealogists, the author delves into the lives of eccentrics such as Percy Mann, who in the 1920's, in a dispute with a local gendarme, drove his new Buick to the top of the highest hill on his property for all to see and never touched it again; of sports figures such as Carl and "Peewee" Reese, and Joseph McElroy Mann, who threw the first no-hitter using a curve ball; to historical figures such as Roger Conant, who founded Salem, Massachusetts, in 1626, and architect William Thomson, whose buildings still grace the downtown landscape of New York City. And, in the midst of these stalwart members of society, there's talk of pirates and gold. Utilizing some creative dialogue, letters and photos, the author draws a light sketch of his grandparents, the Haydons from rural Kentucky and the Manns from Louisville. This inevitably leads to his parents journey, their meeting, romance, and marriage, with that being ironically at he outset of the Great Depression in October of 1929. Then, in the signature section of the book, after a twenty year hiatus, the author returns to Kensington, and with this bittersweet return, his indelible memories are brought to the surface as he discusses one anecdote after another, some joyous, some humorous, some quite melancholy, but all from the heart. Finally, in a fitting end to the book, Haydon talks openly about his family, friends and some special Kensington stories.
About the Author: Having graduated from SMU in 1968 with a BFA degree, Robert Haydon became a "bullpen" artist at a local publishing firm in Dallas. By 1973 he was the art director of one of the world's largest publishers and he stayed in that position until 1978 when he tired of being in management and left to restore his creative juices. His freelance career began at that point, and, in a limited capacity is ongoing to this day. During that career his fine art appeared in galleries in Ft Worth, Dallas, Plano, Rockwall and even in New Mexico, his commercial art designs and illustrations were used in a wide array of publications, and his enlistment into several popular bands as an accomplished banjo player eliminated most of his free time. In 1998 his bluegrass album "Collage," partially funded by Steve Miller and featuring Steve as one of the all-star musicians, climbed into the top thirty on many bluegrass charts and won Haydon a special "indie" gold record for extensive world-wide airplay. As a writer, his first book, "The Panhandle Murders," was released in 2012. His magazine articles, mostly concerning well-known musicians, have been published both in print and online. Born in 1942, Haydon continues to stay busy restoring his vintage home, sustaining his daily workout regimen, model railroading, painting for several galleries, writing almost every day on two new books, and occasionally performing on both guitar and banjo at various events.